From: jbeanlan@amnesty.org Subject: Amnesty International Urgent Action - Viet Nam: Detained teacher not seen for two months To: Date: Friday, January 23, 2009, 9:45 AM PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 41/001/2009 23 January 2009 UA 18/09 Torture/ill-treatment/ health concern VIET NAM Vu Hung (m), teacher Vu Hung, a teacher held in pre-trial detention since 18 September 2008, has not been seen since he was moved from his cell in B14 prison, Ha Noi, two months ago. His health had deteriorated after reportedly being beaten during several interrogation sessions, and starting a hunger-strike in protest at his treatment. During that time he was taken to Hospital 198 of the Ministry of Public Security a number of times. Vu Hung had been held in a cell with 50 prisoners convicted of criminal offences, a number of whom were recently released under an amnesty for Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year festival. Some of these released prisoners reported that Vu Hung's health had seriously deteriorated, and that it was not known where he had been moved to. About a month after he was taken into custody, police visited his family, asking them to sign an affidavit that he was suffering from mental health problems, raising concerns about his treatment in prison and state of health. Vu Hung is one of at least nine people arrested in September 2008, following the trial of blogger and activist Dieu Cay, and in connection with planned peaceful protests over a territory dispute with China. Amnesty International believes that they were arrested solely for their peaceful activism. Vu Hung was also one of 14 people arrested in April 2008 during peaceful demonstrations against Chinese policies as the Olympic torch relay passed through Ho Chi Minh City. He was then beaten by police before being released. A high school physics teacher married with two young children, Vu Hung was reportedly dismissed from his job in July 2008 for his involvement with other pro-democracy activists, protesting against government policies since 2006. He was also frequently interrogated by the police. According to human rights activists in Viet Nam, the nine arrested in September, including Vu Hung, have been charged under Article 88 of the Penal Code, with “conducting propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam”. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Freedom of expression and association has been subject to strict control by the Vietnamese authorities for many years. Dissidents who are critical of government policies and speak out about human rights violations face a range of sanctions to silence them. These include surveillance by local police, restrictions on movement, interference with home utilities such as phone lines and internet access, arbitrary questioning and detention by police, arrest and imprisonment. There are also cases where authorities have used arbitrary detention in mental health institutions against outspoken critics and activists. At least 30 dissidents have been handed down long prison sentences, since the most recent wave of arrests began in 2006 after a short-lived period of tolerance to increased web-based activism challenging the government. An unknown number of others are held in pre-trial detention. Provisions in the national security section of the Penal Code are used arbitrarily to stifle and criminalize peaceful dissent, in breach of international human rights treaties that Viet Nam has ratified. Restrictions and regulations on internet use penalize freedom of expression on topics deemed sensitive, including human rights and advocacy of democracy. Recent regulations on blogging enacted in December 2008 restrict content to personal matters, and prohibit dissemination of anti-government material, and “undermining national security”. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English, Vietnamese, French or your own language: - expressing concern at the arrest of Vu Hung and eight others in September 2008 for their peaceful activism; - calling on the authorities to reveal his whereabouts and current state of health immediately; - calling for an investigation into allegations that Vu Hung has been tortured and ill-treated in detention, with the results made public and anyone found responsible to be brought to justice; - urging the authorities to ensure that Vu Hung is provided with proper medical treatment and hospitalization if necessary, and that he is allowed access to his family, and to a lawyer; - calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Vu Hung. APPEALS TO: Le Hong Anh Minister of Public Security Ministry of Public Security 44 Yet Kieu Street Ha Noi VIET NAM Fax: + 8443 942 0223 Salutation: Dear Minister Ha Hung Cuong Minister of Justice Ministry of Justice 58-60 Tran Phu Street Ha Noi VIET NAM Fax: + 8443 843 1431 Salutation: Dear Minister Pham Gia Khiem Minister of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1 Ton That Dam Street Ba Dinh district, Ha Noi VIET NAM Fax: + 8443 823 1872 Email: bc.mfa@mofa.gov.vn Salutation: Dear Minister COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Viet Nam accredited to your country. PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending appeals after 6 March 2009. Janice Beanland Southeast Asia Team Amnesty International, International Secretariat 1 Easton Street, London WC1X ODW, UK Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7413 5660; Fax: + 44 (0) 20 7956 1157 Working to protect human rights worldwide   more »

UPDATE: January 17, 2009 The art exhibit at VAALA which is disrespectful to the Heritage Flag of the Vietnamese Diaspora is coming down. The event was visited by 400 people in southern California who expressed their dismay at the exhibit. VAALA cancelled the exhibit after one week. UPDATE: JANUARY 21, 2009. LETTER FROM Michelle Phương Thảo to Tram Le attached A MESSAGE FROM VIET ART Friends of Viet Art, Chúc Mừng Năm Mới! Happy New Year! VAC cordially invites you to our upcoming Before New Year Celebration - Mừng Tất Niên on Friday evening, January 16, 2009. We hope you will come to join VAC and the other Vietnamese organizations bidding farewell to the momentous 2008 (politic, economic, Olympic…), year of the Mouse and welcoming a hopeful 2009 (politic, economic, Special Olympic…), year of the Buffalo. As Executive Director of Viet Art Center, I am inclined to respect as well as to avoid commentary in regarding to the works of the other art organizations. However, a Vietnamese-American Art Organization, named VAALA, decided to spoil the New Year Celebration of their own Vietnamese community, in the name of ...Art and ... Freedom ... as they so claimed: (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vietarts10-2009jan10,0,4389762.story). Since this is the first Vietnamese-American art and culture organization officially exhibiting the most notable symbols of the Vietnamese Communist regime (ten years ago, it was a reckless and want-to-be-famous individual, Tran Truong), I am making an exception to voice my opinion regarding this matter. After all, ART is POLITICS as VAALA confirmed as one of their main reasons to create F.O.B.II. Below are my messages to VAALA executive members and the organizers of “F.O.B.II: Art Speaks”: In regarding to Freedom: THE SOLDIER Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the soldier who salutes the flag, serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag. So I add: It is the South Vietnamese soldiers, who have suffered years in re-education camp, not you, who while in and out of prison, have persistently, sacrificed their life to teach us the truth meaning of freedom. It is your parent, not you, who has risked their life to bring you to this country, so that you grew up in freedom. In regarding to your “Arts”, “liberalism”, and your accomplishment in education: Any 20 year-old who isn't a liberal doesn't have a heart, and any 40 year-old who isn't a conservative doesn't have a brain.” (Unknown) It is a thousand times better to have common sense without education than to have education without common sense. (Robert G. Ingersoll) You can get all A's and still flunk life. (Walker Percy) So I add: A Ph.D. in school does not automatically grants you a Ph.D. in life. In regarding to your actions, here my last but not least words: “Thou art a cat, and a rat, and a coward.” (Miguel de Cervantes) I wish that you would take appropriate actions to remedy the pain that you have caused to our elders. Peace and Love, Michelle Phương Thảo ****************************************************************************** On the Vietnamese Heritage flag -- a lesson to the California Curriculum Board from the organizers of Journey from the Fall by Ham Tran: Kim-Oanh Nguyen-Lam explained the importance of incorporating a lesson that highlights the issue of the Vietnamese Freedom and Heritage flag. “The flag has been used as a collective identity for Vietnamese American refugees,” Nguyen-Lam said. “Our children who were born [in the United States] do not have the same connections. So it is important for them to have an understanding and respect [for the elder generation] – whether they agree or not – [and] do not look down on their parents. [It is also important] that their teachers understand why the community feels so sensitive about [the flag]. … In order to build relationships, we need to know each other and respect each other’s past.” The lesson nurtures awareness that “the disregard for this flag is also a traumatic reminder of how [Vietnam’s] histories of war, exile and political disenfranchisement have been silenced and rendered invisible in the years since 1975 in the U.S. The insistence on the usage of this Republic of Vietnam flag is an attempt to reinsert this Vietnamese American history into U.S. history and to give Americans a more comprehensive understanding of the Vietnam War and its legacy.”   more »

Enclosed below is the Vietnam chapter from Human Rights Watch's World Report 2009, which covers human rights developments during 2008. The 564-page report summarizes major human rights issues in more than 90 countries, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2008 by Human Rights Watch staff. For the full report please see: www.hrw.org For more information regarding the Vietnam chapter, please contact: * In London: Brad Adams: (o) +44 20 7713 2767; (m) +44 7908 728 333 * In Washington, DC: Sophie Richardson: (o) 1 202 612 4341; (m) 1 917 721 7473 Vietnam - Human Rights Development in 2008 The Vietnamese government continues to crackdown on democracy activists, journalists, human rights defenders, cyber-dissidents, and members of unsanctioned religious organizations. Social unrest increased in 2008 as thousands of workers joined strikes for better pay and working conditions. An informal nationwide land rights movement swelled, as thousands of farmers traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi to publicly express their grievances about land seizures and local corruption. Ethnic Khmer Buddhists in the Mekong Delta and Montagnard Christians in the Central Highlands protested against land confiscation and religious persecution. 2008 saw the harshest crackdown on Catholics in Vietnam in decades as Vietnamese authorities sought to curtail mass prayer vigils in Hanoi calling for the return of government-confiscated church properties. Political and Religious Prisoners More than 400 political and religious prisoners remain behind bars in harsh prison conditions. Prisoners are placed in solitary confinement in dark, unsanitary cells, and there is compelling evidence of torture and ill-treatment of political prisoners, including beatings and electric shock. Credible sources report the use of forced prison labor in a cashew processing facility at Xuan Loc prison, where many political prisoners are imprisoned. ... Freedom of Religion Vietnamese law requires that religious groups register with the government. Those that do not join one of the officially authorized religious organizations—the governing boards of which are under the control of the government—are considered illegal. Authorities harass and arrest church leaders campaigning for rights or choosing not to affiliate with state-controlled religious oversight committees. For decades, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Do, now Supreme Patriarch of the banned Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, has either been in prison or under house arrest for publicly protesting government policies. Five ethnic Khmer Buddhist monks remain in prison in Soc Trang province after participating in a peaceful protest in 2007 calling for greater religious freedom. On June 28, ethnic Khmer monk Tim Sakhorn was released from a year’s imprisonment in An Giang province. Although a recognized citizen of Cambodia , Vietnamese authorities have prohibited him from returning to Cambodia since his release. Authorities beat and arrest members of ethnic minorities in remote areas such as Montagnards in the Central Highlands for refusing to join state-sanctioned church organizations, protesting land confiscation, making contact with relatives or groups abroad, or trying to seek political asylum in Cambodia .... During 2008 unprecedented numbers of CatholicsDone of the largest officially recognized religions in Vietnam gathered in Hanoi for prayer vigils calling for return of government confiscated church property. In September police used tear gas and electric batons to disband the vigils, detained protesters, and bulldozed properties considered sacred to Vietnamese Catholics. Hundreds of thugs, some in the blue shirts of the Communist Youth League, harassed, cursed, and spat at parishioners and destroyed church statues. Vietnam is due to be reviewed under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council in May 2009 EXPAND PERMANENT LINK TO READ FULL ARTICLE   more »

Thanh Thủy, Trọng Nghĩa Bài đăng ngày 09/01/2009 Cập nhật lần cuối ngày 09/01/2009 16:05 TU Trong bản thông cáo công bố hôm qua, 08/01/2009, tổ chức Human Rights Watch có trụ sở tại New York, đã yêu cầu Ngân Hàng Thế Giới cùng các quốc gia tài trợ cho Việt Nam phải gây áp lực, để chính quyền Hà Nội chấm dứt tình trạng kết tội hình sự đối với ký giả và cho phép ngành báo chí được tự do.In bài Gửi bài Bình luận bài Nhắc lại một số vụ tống giam nhà báo và những người viết blog mới đây, cũng như việc cách chức tổng biên tập hai tờ báo đi đầu trong lãnh vực chống tham nhũng, Human Rights Watch cho rằng đó là những biện pháp « nhằm khoá miệng các tiếng nói phê phán và bất đồng ». Human Rights Watch cho rằng « các nhà tài trợ cho Việt Nam cần tiếp tục nhấn mạnh với chính quyền Việt Nam là phải chấm dứt các hành động hình sự hóa những phát biểu ôn hoà. ». Theo bản thông cáo của tổ chức Human Rights Watch, trong ba tháng vừa qua, hai nhà báo và một người viết blog đã bị đem ra xử và bị kết án. Có ít nhất bốn phóng viên đã bị rút thẻ nhà báo, sau khi họ đưa tin về những vụ biểu tình của nông dân, về quan hệ Việt – Trung, về quyền tự do phát biểu và về nhân quyền. Human Rights Watch cũng nhắc lại là tất cả phương tiện truyền thông ở Việt Nam đều thuộc về Nhà nước và do Nhà nước kiểm soát. Do vậy, ông Brad Adams, giám đốc Human Rights Watch đặc trách vùng châu Á, nhấn mạnh rằng « Việt Nam là một trong số ít quốc gia mà người dân có thể bị giam cầm vì « lạm dụng các quyền tự do dân chủ ». Nhưng điều trớ trêu ở đây là Việt Nam lại là một nước không có các quyền tự do dân chủ ». Bản thông cáo liệt kê một số vụ đã xảy ra như là mồng 2 tháng giêng vừa qua hai tổng biên tập, Nguyễn Công Khế của tờ Thanh Niên và Lê Hoàng của tờ Tuổi Trẻ đã bị cách chức, sau khi hai phóng viên, Nguyễn Việt Chiến của Thanh Niên và Nguyễn Văn Hải của Tuổi Trẻ bị kết án tù vì tội phanh phui một vụ tham nhũng lớn, trong đó viên chức của chính phủ đã sử dụng hàng triệu đôla tiền viện trợ của Nhật Bản và của Ngân Hàng Thế Giới để chơi cá độ bóng đá. Đã thế, hai tờ Thanh Niên và Tuổi Trẻ còn cố tình đưa lên trang nhất những lời bình luận về việc bắt giam hai nhà báo kể trên hồi tháng 5 năm 2008. Sau khi chính phủ Việt Nam phản ứng bằng cách cách chức hai tổng biên tập, từ đó mọi chỉ trích mạnh dạn đã ngưng hẳn. Bản thông cáo cũng nhắc lại quyết định của chính phủ Việt Nam kiểm duyệt và hạn chế nội dung các blog, đồng thời nêu lên trường hợp của Nguyễn Hoàng Hải, tức Điếu Cầy tác giả của một trang blog được rất nhiều người đọc. Tháng 12 năm 2008, toà án thành phố Hồ Chí Minh kết án Điều Cầy 30 tháng tù giam, vì tội đưa lên internet những bài báo phản đối Trung Quốc tranh giành chủ quyền của hai quần đảo Hoàng Sa và Trường Sa, những bài báo có thể gây khó khăn trong quan hệ Việt –Trung. Vì những vụ hạn chế quyền tự do ngôn luận nêu trên mà ông Brad Adams kêu gọi Ngân Hàng Thế Giới và Nhật Bản phải làm cho chính phủ Việt Nam hiểu rằng cách xử sự như vậy đối với báo chí là không thể chấp nhận được. Trong lãnh vực chính trị, sau các nguồn tin báo chí Trung Quốc vào trung tuần tháng 12, theo đó chính quyền Bắc Kinh khuyến khích việc khai thác các đảo không người ở nhằm bảo vệ chủ quyền trên biển của nước này, Việt Nam đã chính thức có phản ứng. Phát ngôn viên bộ ngoại giao Việt Nam, ông Lê Dũng, vào hôm qua, 08/01/2009, đã tái khẳng định chủ quyền Việt Nam trên các quần đảo Trường Sa và Hoàng Sa đang có tranh chấp với Trung Quốc và một số nước khác. Ngoài ra, ông Lê Dũng cũng cho rằng các bên có tranh chấp không nên có hành động làm cho tình hình thêm phức tạp.   more »

Vietnam: Stop Muzzling the Messengers Journalists and Bloggers Jailed, Fired, and Harassed ( New York , January 8, 2009) – The editors of two leading Vietnamese newspapers were fired on January 2, 2009, the latest in a series of measures by the Vietnamese government to stifle criticism and dissent, Human Rights Watch said today. In December, the government announced strict new regulations banning internet blogs that disseminate politically sensitive content deemed subversive by the government. During the last three months, two journalists and one blogger have been tried and convicted on criminal charges. The press credentials of at least four journalists have been revoked after they covered topics such as farmers’ protests, relations with China , freedom of expression, and human rights. All media in Vietnam are owned or controlled by the government. “ Vietnam is one of the few countries where people can be locked up on charges of ‘abusing democratic freedoms,’” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “ Vietnam ’s donors should continue to insist that the government stop its criminalization of peaceful expression.” On January 2, Nguyen Cong Khe, editor of Thanh Nien (Young People) and Le Hoang, editor of Tuoi Tre (Youth), were dismissed from their jobs. Their sacking followed the conviction in October of reporters from their newspapers – Nguyen Viet Chien of Thanh Nien and Nguyen Van Hai from Tuoi Tre – for exposing a major corruption scandal, in which government officials pocketed millions of dollars in funds from Japan and the World Bank to gamble on football matches. Chien was sentenced to two years in prison and Hai to two years of “re-education” on charges of “abusing democratic freedoms to infringe upon the interests of the state” under article 258 of Vietnam ’s penal code. In an unusual development, both newspapers used their front pages to criticize the two reporters’ arrests in May 2008, and the leaders of several journalists’ associations in Vietnam also spoke out against the arrests. The deputy editors of both publications were replaced in response, and the critical outcry quickly died down. “The World Bank and Japan should come to the defense of these investigative reporters and their editors,” said Adams . “They should make it clear to the Vietnamese government in public and in private that this kind of retribution for good journalism is not acceptable.” The December regulations prohibit blogs from disseminating or linking to content that opposes the government, undermines national security and social order, or reveals state secrets. Vietnam ’s deputy minister of information and communication, Do Quy Doan, has said that blogs should be limited to personal content and refrain from posting articles or opinions regarding politics, religion, and social issues. Do Quy Doan has publicly stated that the ministry intends to solicit the assistance of the internet companies Google and Yahoo to “regulate” and “detect” the content of blogs and websites. Yahoo is part of the Global Network Initiative, which was formed to address issues of corporate responsibility when dealing with censorious governments. The use of the internet in Vietnam , primarily at inexpensive internet cafes, has skyrocketed during the last decade. Currently there are approximately 20 million internet users (out of a population of 84 million) and more than 1 million blogs, according to government statistics. “Yahoo 360” is one of the most popular blogging platforms. In May, Yahoo offered a number of services that cater specifically to Vietnamese bloggers, such as a Vietnamese-language search engine and user-friendly links to Vietnamese singers. The government controls internet use by monitoring online activity, harassing and arresting cyber-dissidents, and blocking websites of democracy and human rights groups, opposition political parties, and independent media based in Vietnam and abroad. Internet service providers and internet cafe owners are required to obtain photo identification from internet users, and to monitor and store information about their online activities. In December 2008, the Ho Chi Minh City appeals court upheld the 30-month prison sentence of an internet blogger, Nguyen Hoang Hai (or Dieu Cay), founder of the Free Journalists Club in Vietnam . He had posted articles online and participated in rallies protesting China ’s claims to the disputed Spratley and Paracel Islands . The Vietnamese government considers such activism to complicate its relations with China . Comments on this subject have led to the interrogation and detention of other activists and cyber-dissidents. VietnamNet, an online news source, was fined US$2,000 after it published an editorial on the subject. In July 2008 a court in Kien Giang Province upheld a five-year prison sentence for Truong Minh Duc, an internet reporter, land rights activist, and Vietnam Populist Party member, for “abusing democratic freedoms.” “The irony of these charges is that there are no ‘democratic freedoms’ in Vietnam ,” said Adams . “The Vietnamese government would do well to allow the media these freedoms.” For more information, please contact: In London , Brad Adams (English): +44-790-872-8333 (mobile) In Washington , DC , Sophie Richardson (English, Mandarin): +1-202-612-4341; or +1-917-721-7473 (mobile) In New York , Elaine Pearson (English): +1-212-216-1213; or +1-646-291-7169 (mobile)   more »

www.royce.house.gov Royce Contact: Royce Introduces Legislation Calling for Vietnam to be Returned to list of "Countries of Particular Concern" Resolution cites increased religious persecution Washington, Jan 6 - Today, the first day of the 111th Congress, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives calling on the U.S. government to re-designate Vietnam on the list of "Countries of Particular Concern" for gross violations of religious freedom. Representative Anh "Joseph" Cao, the first Vietnamese-American elected to Congress, joined Royce in introducing the legislation. "This Resolution will put the House of Representatives on record - the status quo in Vietnam is unacceptable. If Vietnam wants to have a strong relationship with the U.S., it needs to honor its citizen's basic rights, including religious liberty," said Royce. Since 1999, the U.S. State Department has designated countries that "engage in or tolerate particularly severe violations of religious freedom," as "Countries of Particular Concern." This annual designation puts the violations of specific countries on record, making it a significant diplomatic tool for advancing human rights. "Most recently, the Vietnamese Catholic Church has felt the Communist government's oppression over disputed land. In addition, persecution of the Hoa Hao Buddhists and the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam continues," said Royce. Due to Vietnam's egregious human rights violations, the State Department had previously listed it as one of these countries. In 2006, Vietnam was removed from the annual list. "Some have seen positive steps in Vietnam, but frankly, I don't see it. Religious freedom remains under attack. The Communist government continues to harass and physically abuse worshipers who don't follow every last state sanctioned rule. Later this month we'll have a new Administration. I want it to recognize that religious freedom is under fire in Vietnam and that it needs to be put back on this list," Royce stated. In 2008, China, Burma, and North Korea were among those listed as "Countries of Particular Concern." Representatives Anh "Joseph" Cao (R-LA), Loretta Sanchez (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Dan Burton (R-IN), Frank Wolf (R-VA), and Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) joined Royce as original cosponsors. Rep. Ed Royce is a senior member on the Asia, the Pacific and the Global Environment Subcommittee. Additionally Royce serves on the Congressional Caucus on Vietnam and the Caucus on Human Rights. ###   more »

Brief biography of Nguyen Chi Thien by Jean Libby, editor, VietAm Review. Translated into Vietnamese by Huynh Khue, who has recently translated and published Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang, a Contemporary History of a National Struggle 1927 - 1954 by Hoang Van Dao. Mr. Huynh Khue is a member of the Viet Nam Nationalist Party as well as province councilman in the RVN. In Vietnam he was a teacher and military officer who won the Campaign and Gallantry Cross with Gold Star and Wound Medal. After immigrating to the United States, he offered his confidential political advice to senators on the immigration of Vietnamese political prisoners' children. Thanks also to Golden Pen (Thuan Do), publisher of Anh Duong Online for contribution to the biography, which is dated November 2008. Please open file for full text in Vietnamese and in English.   more »